Down Under the Influence of Aussieland
An Interview with Eliine P. Laas
By Rainer Von Helin on Oct 1, 2014
Have you ever thought about leaving everything behind and travelling far away to the land of Australia? Well that is exactly what our friend Eliine has done. Australia, being a vast country with creatures and travellers of all kind, is definitely considered to be a place where you can go to either be lost or found. Whether you are thinking about taking a gap year, an extended holiday or you just simply want to leave everything behind and run away, perhaps our interview with a kindred spirit might spark some ideas or just let you know what it's like to be over there on that side of the world, mate.
Hēdonē: Hey Eliine! So you just got back from a jungle, how was it and what were you doing there?
Eliine: The past few months have been crazy adventurous. A lot has happened. My perception of the world, people around me and also my understanding of myself has changed very much. I love it.
You are right, I was in the jungle: "Oh these tiny plants are cute…what is it? Strawberries or mint?" - "They are weed plants. All 15 of them." It was no cattle station but actually a weed growing farm in the middle of a rainforest and the tiny cute plants were the freshest addition to boss's collection of top class bush weed (that means organic, outdoors grown, chemical free bud). I was working for a man who doesn't pay a single bill, he gets money from the government for "beautifying the nature" and hosts "clients" such as police officers from Melbourne, doctors from Sydney and so on. We were planting native Australian plants and also weed plants in between. We spent days sitting on the rooftop of an old Toyota Jeep, cruising through the hills, plunging into waterfalls, exploring never ending forest and happiness.
Where exactly and how long have you been in Australia?
I touched down on the 1st of February in Melbourne. I spent roughly four months there and now for three months I've lived in a small surf and hippie town called Byron Bay (1600 km up the coast from Melbourne) and I love it. I've been here and there in between Melbourne and Brisbane. Australia is so vast – it makes Europe look like a fun weekend trip. There is so much to see and do. It can be a bit overwhelming, but it's good to loose your head sometimes!
How welcoming are Australians with foreigners?
(Laugh) It completely depends on how you present yourself but it's like that everywhere you go. Aussies are very chilled and since tourism and backpackers have been a part of the country for a long time we get along pretty well. There are always exceptions and I can't talk on behalf of others, but I haven't felt unwelcomed anywhere so far. For many locals and other travelers too, I am the first Estonian they have ever met so I'm kind of a rare specimen here (laugh). Maybe because of that no one would make me feel unwelcomed.
Eliine P. Laas / Photographer Jordan Reed
Australia is a big country. Where do you recommend people to stop first and why?
You don't really know how big it is until you're actually here. Everybody has a different story with different adventures in different locations and there definitely are some main things that you should see, but there are no rules in travelling, you make your own. I picked Melbourne to be my first city and it was great, but it could have been any other place, because I didn't know anything about it. If you have time to go unprepared, do it. At least I like to surprise myself like that.
What’s the best kind of food in Australia?
Since the country as we know it now is about 200 years old, there is no locally developed food culture, so nothing too special, but Australians love pumpkin. I never saw so much pumpkin eaten anywhere in Europe. Also all kinds of vegetarian and vegan stuff are very popular over here. They also love pies here too. I worked for a music festival and had 4 pies a day for 6 days. Never again!
How have you been managing to survive financially?
I've had my ups and downs. At the moment I have no money, no phone, no computer and I live in a tent, but in an environment like this, it's possible to survive. Sounds terrible, hey? I've never been so happy with things in my life. I just tried to live without spending anything for a few months and it worked. Work usually pays very well here, so if you have a job and an income, you are solid. I chose to be "in between jobs" for a change. Just to see how it feels like.
Is partying different in Australia compared to Europe?
Partying out is definitely different cost wise. To start with the bar/club scenes usually shuts all doors around midnight or a few hours later. The parties with tickets on door vary but sometimes you pay 30 dollars for a normal club night. Parties starts way earlier and ends that way too. Alcohol is expensive. For example, a shot (4cl) of Jägermeister at home would be around 2-4 euros, depending on the place, here a shot is 3cl and you pay 10 dollars for it. A pack of cigarettes is around 21-25 dollars and so on.
Partying itself can't be that different because the crew is always so multicultural that you have a bit of party from all corners of the world. Dancing is still the same, expressing yourself and letting go – It’s an international language! If the vibe is good and the people around you are the same kind as you, partying is always a pleasure. I haven't been to a club for three months now. There’s no need. We make wild beach parties where we ourselves are the kings and queens of the party.
What about drugs, have you had any trippy experiences?
Once, three friends and I took our very much-loved tiny Mitsubishi car on a beautiful trip out of Melbourne on the Great Ocean road. We parked the car in complete darkness on a random field in between bushes and started settling in. We took a lot of Mdma, acid (candyflippin!), about half an ounce of bud and a crate of beer with us. We had a full 12-hour trip in the motor. At nighttime we climbed on the roof of the car, to check out the stars and the far universe. The next day we tripped around the area for about 10 hours, creepy foggy hills, cockatoo flocks flying around us, creepy empty towns. That was gnarly.
Our beach parties are crazy too. We place a DJ-set just on a hill somewhere less sandy and higher from everybody, massive speakers booming away for hours, fire spinning, hula hooping, lasers shining through the smoky campfire, the ocean doing it's thing on the background, surrounded by nature, so free and wild, no one gets tired. Then comes the sunrise and so on.
When do you plan to return to your life back home?
I can't tell you that since I don't know either. The more I'm seeing here, the more I want to keep travelling. Right now Byron Bay is home. Maybe I'll go back in 5 months, maybe 5 years.
How do you battle the heat?
Well the summer in Melbourne was hot (the hottest week was 40-45 Celsius), here it's going to be even hotter, but even my Nordic body got somewhat used to it. It’s hell in the wintertime, I thought that 15 degrees at nighttime was worthy of my winter coat. But humans can get used to pretty much anything. No need to battle, we go friendly hand in hand.
What’s one thing you hate about Australia?
There is nothing to hate, mate. Life is pretty sweet here!
List some new words or phrases you’ve learnt?
“G'day mate! How ya goin'?”
The Aussie accent is hilarious, and they are so proud of it too! It's always "No worries, mate" or "Good on ya". They call flip-flops thongs and McDonald's Macca's, candy is lollies and the most popular word among us dirty backpackers is “Cunt” with an Aussie accent.
Describe the craziest night/party you’ve had down under?
They are all pretty crazy! It's difficult to bring out “The Craziest” since they all have their situations, people and locations vary. The feeling must be right and then you have a sick night every night.
What do kangaroos look like?
Cute and scary at the same time. You wouldn't want to get too close in the wild.
What can/should Europe learn from Australia?
Maybe the chilled vibe and worriless attitude towards life? Aussies are all about having a laugh. Maybe a bit of the carefree mindset would be good for Europe. At least to experience it for a while. It's refreshing in comparison to the general attitude back home.
Where would you like to go next? Any plans?
It probably came out already, I don't like to make plans as such, but after Australia I probably want to go to Asia. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, India etc. So much to see and do on this tiny planet!
Hēdonē is the magazine on the quest for pleasure: what is your ultimate pleasure?
To be apart of something great and have beautiful, shiny happy souls around me. Some Earthporn (mother nature in all of her succulent beauty) is always good to look at too (laugh).
There must be some crazy animals down under in Australia. What kinds have you come across?
Well, it is a wildly known fact that pretty much everything here tries to kill you, right? It's not that bad actually, but sometimes in the dark I get a bit freaked out by everything that could be there and which I just can't see. I've encountered some kangaroos hopping by the car, pythons eating possums, ridiculously big spiders, and yesterday on my way to brush my teeth in the morning, we saw a baby red belly black snake, which is very venomous and the babies are even worse, because they don't know how to dose the venom yet and usually end up giving way more than necessary, obviously kill you. On a daily basis however, I see massive bats, water dragons, bush turkeys and different jungle birds surround us at all times. Oh and last week a person got killed by a 4 meter Great White shark right on our beach. It never gets boring here I guess.
What about Australian men, what kinds of guys have you come across?
Travelling around I meet people from all over the world. Of all of them maybe 15-25 have been Australian. I've met some cool ass local dudes though, adventurous and chill.
Have you tried surfing yet? Tell us a little bit about the surf scene over there.
The surf scene is massive. People’s lives revolve around it. We are surrounded by water here you know. I haven't tried it yet, which is a bit ironic, since I live with people who go surfing every day. I guess it just hasn't been the right time yet. Summer is beginning now so I'll definitely hop onboard soon.
All photos courtesy of Nick Lowcock